Mallett catalogue 2013_DEF_Q9_new Mallett catalogue design 19/04/13 10:35 Pagina 176
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M A L L E T T LO N D O N
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N E W YO R K
A PAIR OF FINELY CARVED GEORGE III SIDE CHAIRS A pair of George III mahogany side chairs with pierced back splats decorated with very finely carved Chinese and Gothic ornament, enriched throughout with foliate decoration in high relief set against a punched ground. The upholstered seat supported at the front on elegantly shaped cabriole legs, terminating with richly carved scroll toes. Attributed to Edward Newman. England, circa 1755 Height: 37in/94cm Width: 23in/59cm Depth: 23in/59cm
This pair of side chairs was certainly part of an outstanding set of dining chairs of which Mallett recently handled the armchairs (now in an American private collection). These chairs represent a wonderful blend of rococo motif, with the exotic flavour of chinoiserie, the flamboyance of Gothick and the tradition of classical motif, incorporating all these as structural design elements. The highly carved ornamentation and use of elm for the seat rails has similarities in detail to the rare Master’s chair at Temple Newsam House, attributed to Edward Newman. LITERATURE
F3C0152
A Left, a rare Master’s armchair from Temple Newsam House attributed to Edward Newman, the emblematic motif, for example the use of joined hands on the back and the pair of doves, suggest it could have been made for a fellowship society or to commemorate a marriage. The stylised rocaille decoration on the seat rails on an unpunched ground, are part of this signature work. All these chairs have the unusual and rare use of elm rails rather than the more common beech or oak. The knurl feet are first seen on a design in Thomas Chippendale’s Director 1754, plate 15. Below left, a design for a side chair from Thomas Chippendale’s Director, plate 15, featuring the first use of a knurl foot.
Thomas Chippendale, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, plate 15, London, 1754. (A Re-Print of the First Edition, The Chippendale Society Leeds, 2005.) C. Gilbert, Furniture at Temple Newsam House and Lotherton Hall, Vol. 1, plate 71, p.86. The National Art Collections Fund and the Leeds Art Collections Fund, 1978.